The Father's Joy

We are called to be the "Good Samaritan," but we have to recognize that Jesus wants to heal us so we can be vessels of His mercy to others. 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

A talk for the "Men of St. Joseph" in Shawnee. As men we are called to be spiritual leaders for those entrusted to our care. Regular repentance and daily committed prayer are non-negotiable pillars to becoming who we were meant to be!

Only if we radically trust Jesus and His love for us are we truly free!

This year, Father's Day falls on the the feast of Corpus Christi. Jesus wants to fill in the deficits of our earthly fathers with the Father's loving, healing Presence.

Have we had an overwhelming experience of God's love? If we have, we never forget, and our lives are never the same!

Intimacy is to be at home in the heart of another. When we find our "home" in the hearts of Mary and Jesus, we find peace!

In order to receive God's love, we have to be attentive to Him. Our attentiveness to God and others is one of the most important powers we can cultivate, especially in our age of distraction.

Confronted with many societal crises and tragedies, it is easy to lose hope. Jesus invites us to fix our eyes on His real Presence in the Eucharist and in our souls, the source of our hope.

It is never God's will that we lose our peace. Peace is always available to us because He is always giving it!

As persecution mounts against the original disciples, they pray not for safety but greater boldness in proclaiming the power and truth of the Gospel. We are called to the same boldness, having been transformed in Jesus' love!

God as a community of love between three Persons reveals who we are and what we are made for.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He desires to care for us through His Mother.

Do we live as though Jesus is alive and always with us?

We are either under Jesus' victory or Satan's power; there is no middle ground. The main reason many aren't united to Jesus and His Church is because neither they nor the people in the pews have experienced the power of Jesus' resurrection and personal love and healing for them. 

Unless we allow Jesus to wash our ugly parts, we reject a real encounter with His love for us.

Are we numb to Jesus' love poured out for us on the cross?

God's finger brings life, healing, and freedom. He wants to touch our misery and transform it with his mercy. 

A talk given at St. Ann's Lenten parish mission. After our own sin, refusing forgiveness to others is the primary block to receiving deeper intimacy with Jesus. 

The Church has many teachings that are hard to accept. Unless we have first experienced Jesus' love and mercy personally, it will be difficult to accept and live by the "rules."

The Church is unattractive to the young because so few of its members inspire and are on fire. Repenting and asking for more fire is a good place to start!

None of us have perfect natural fathers. Jesus wants to fill the void left by our fathers, especially through his foster father St. Joseph. 

Most of us feel like we are in one of two modes in any given moment: giving or receiving. What if there is a third way of being in both so we aren't drained by people and circumstances?

In times of darkness, we have the choice to isolate or relate to God and others. Pain either separates us or propels us into deeper communion.

Part 2 of Jesus: Healer of Mind, Body, and Soul. Inner healing can culminate in outward manifestations of healing in our body. Here are some additional principles on healing and how to pray with others with boldness and confidence.

Part 1 of Jesus: Healer of Mind, Body, and Soul, a retreat for teachers of the faith. How much easier it is to transmit the Good News and its power to others when we have experienced it first!